Yumi’s Cells (Season 1 and 2): Review
(유미의 세포들; Season 1 aired from September 17 to October 30, 2021; Season 2 aired from June 10 to July 22, 2022)
Yumi’s Cells was one of the more popular K-drama romcoms in 2021 and 2022. As of now, there is no information about whether they plan to make Season 3 of the show. Unlike most of the K-drama romcoms, the show has an open-ended ending, so don’t expect a neat show with a resolution at the end, like in most K-dramas. We can only hope the story will be wrapped up in Season 3, but so far it remains to be seen.
The premise is somewhat of a mixture of Pixar’s “Inside Out” and “Sex in the City”-like show focused on a private life of a female protagonist. And no, if you’re wondering, there are no nudity or sex scenes, although there are few intimate scenes here and there. Nevertheless, sex is portrayed somewhat more openly than in most K-drama romcoms.
Kim Yumi is the titular protagonist of the series brilliantly portrayed by Kim Go-eun, whose performance strikes a right balance between a comedy and psychological drama. The titular “Yumi’s cells” are “Inside Out”-like entities “inside” Yumi who control Yumi’s different emotions, desires, activities, and biological functions. They are animated 3D characters designed in chibi anime style. All “cells” have different personalities and voices, and we get to learn about them throughout the series. For example, there is Emotional Cell responsible for Yumi’s emotions, Rational Cell who’s voicing Yumi’s rational thinking, Hungry Cell responsible for Yumi’s appetite, Naughty Cell responsible for her sexuality, and so on. All the other characters in the show have their cells too, but we get to know only some of them.
The narration of the show is narrated by Yumi’s cells, the live action is often interrupted by animated sections when we learn what cells do, and how their actions decide about everything Yumi does. Initially that might be jarring, since animated sections always prevent us from learning the resolution of different scenes: first cells decide what to do, then live action characters perform their actions according to what cells decided. Also, the combination of 3D chibi animated characters and somewhat mature content of the show might be considered curious.
However, while the animated sections are lighthearted and often silly, they add a tremendous amount of psychological insight and depth to the show. Every decision Yumi makes, every choice in her life, is incredibly thoroughly analyzed thanks to the cell scenes. Cells voice Yumi’s inner thinking and illustrate the process of her decision making. Thanks to that we get to know Yumi like no other character, a situation with nearly no comparison to other K-dramas or series of any kind. The insight we get into her psychology enlightens our understanding of her motivations and decisions, provides us with an intimate connection to character’s inner thoughts, and deeply immerses us in her life. A lesser actress would have troubles executing so deeply psychological portrayal of a character, but Kim Go-eun accomplishes that flawlessly, perfectly showing thoughts, dilemmas, and emotions conveyed by scenes with Yumi’s cells.
Few other characters get similar insight and animated cell scenes: mainly Yumi’s boyfriends and some of the other characters she meets along the way. Nevertheless, the show predominantly focuses on Yumi. If we see scenes with cells of her love interests, it’s mostly to show us why both parties make certain decisions or actions, so ultimately to better understand their relationships. As such, again, the whole cell narrative adds another layer of insight into how Yumi’s relationships work and what makes them succeed or fail. This provides a tremendous understanding of how dating between characters in the show develops, and it would be hard to find another show with so deep insight into the psychology of relationships.
(Light spoilers ahead)
The series is a huge emotional roller coaster. Both of two seasons of the show focus on Yumi’s relationship with a particular boyfriend, Goo Woon (Ahn Bo-hyun) in Season 1 and Yoo Babi (Park Jin-young) in Season 2. Those relationships start, develop, but ultimately fail throughout both seasons, which we observe on an intimate level through insights provided by cells of both parties. Thanks to that the show induces a deeper emotional reaction among viewers to each event and development in main protagonist’s relationships than this is the case with other romance dramas. So be prepared to be upset or heartbroken many times during the show.
Yumi undergoes a massive character development during the show. She decides about career change two times during the show, which is seen through internal discussion between her cells. Starting from a typical office worker she ultimately decides to pursue a career as a writer. This leads to a difficult period in her life, where she works to achieve her dream. This tumultuous period is very well illustrated by her cells, who voice thoughts of doubt or confidence, disappointment or perseverance. Again, I would be hard pressed to find another show which provides so deep psychological insight into the character development.
Most of the character development occurs in Season 2, which also features more tumultuous and unexpected events in Yumi’s relationships. So overall, while Season 1 is very good, Season 2 is superb in every way to Season 1.
In sum, Yumi’s Cells is a must see for everybody who wants to see an atypical romantic comedy K-drama with a deep psychological layer.
Yumi’s Cells on Wikipedia and MyDramaList
